ABOUT ROB

Rob Osler writes the Hayden & Friends contemporary mystery series featuring a rainbow of extremely amateur sleuths. With Devil’s Chew Toy, Rob coined the term, “Quozy Mystery,” giving a unique name to the colorful sub-genre of cozy mysteries featuring LGBTQ+ main characters. The debut novel was a 2023 Anthony, Macavity, Agatha, and Agatha Awards finalist for best first novel and made the 2022 Year’s Best Lists of Crime Reads, BOLO Books Review, PopSugar and Book Riot. The sequel, Cirque du Slay, comes to town on March 5, 2024.

Rob’s short story, Analogue, published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, won the 2022 ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD for best short story by a debut author as part of the Annual Edgar Awards presented by Mystery Writers of America. His second short story in EQMM, Miss Direction, appeared in the Sept/Oct 2023 edition. 

Next up, (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes, a short story in Brutal & Strange, an anthology based on Elvis Costello songs from Down & Books, arrives Dec 4, 2023. 

Coming January 2025, a yet-to-be-titled first book in a new historical series featuring Chicago-based lesbian detective, Harriet (sometimes Harry) Morrow in America’s Progressive Era from Kensington Books!

Born and raised in Boise, Idaho, Rob attended college at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, where he graduated with a degree in Philosophy. Years later, he earned a master’s degree in business from the University of Washington. Rob was a copywriter and senior brand strategist at leading global agencies and corporations before turning to fiction writing. After many years of living in Chicago (the setting for the Harriet Morrow series) and Seattle (the setting for the Hayden & Friends series), Rob resides in California with his long-time partner and a tall, gray cat.

Rob is represented by Stephany Evans at Ayesha Pande Literary and is a member of Mystery Writers of America, the Authors Guild, Queer Crime Writers, and Sisters in Crime.